


so what if it's you?

by accioyangchen (ladywentworth)



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-06-23 20:52:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19709221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladywentworth/pseuds/accioyangchen
Summary: Katara joins the after-school tutoring program for the volunteer hours. Someone shows up for a one-on-one, but neither is what the other expects.





	so what if it's you?

**Author's Note:**

> Part of a series of short works I'm currently migrating over from my dead atla tumblr blog. Originally posted back in 2014(!!!). Time sure flies, doesn't it?
> 
> ORIGINAL A/N: I think this might be one of my favorite AUs to work with ever. I missed writing Zutara so I picked up one of my unfinished works and brushed it up.

Tutoring had been the easiest way for Katara to gain volunteer hours, but also the most frustrating. Ms. June, the tutoring program coordinator, had assigned her as a science tutor when clearly literature was Katara's best subject. It didn't matter, she supposed, since she got her volunteer hours sheet signed at the end of the day.

On Friday at the end of the second week, Katara was finishing the group tutoring session on basic covalent bond nomenclature when Ms. June asked her to stay later for a last minute one-on-one session in exchange for an early sign-off on her sheet and the day off on Monday.

Katara had huffed and agreed reluctantly and texted Aang and Suki that she wouldn't be able to make it to coffee later.

When none other than Zuko, the senior who loved to call her out in math class and grated her every nerve, walked into the library with his chemistry book in his hands, she almost immediately got up and left. He didn't look much happier to see her.

Still, the sarcastic words she'd been thinking of snapping at him were replaced with awkward silence. The library was empty save for Ms. June chattering with the librarian in the background, but it felt like they were completely alone and they had never been completely alone.

"Uh...thanks for, uh, staying to help me," said Zuko, breaking the awkward silence.

Why was Katara's face hot? She tucked her hair behind her ear and nodded. "Yeah, sure. What--what can I help you with?"

He started talking about gas laws and mixing up formulas but all Katara could focus on was the crease between his eyebrows and the curve of his lips as he frowned. He was sitting very rigidly and intent on his book as he talked.

"Katara?" she heard him ask. Her heart started stammering in her chest as she met his eyes. "Did you hear anything I just said?"

Blushing. That's why her face felt so hot. She was blushing. And she blushed harder when she realized she had been staring at him for the last five minutes while he tried to explain what he needed help with.

"Oh, gas laws, right," Katara answered unevenly, looking away quickly and down at her own book. "Well, um, yeah."

She couldn't see him smiling but she could have sworn she could hear his lips spread into a grin. "Well, um, yeah?"

"Shut up," she muttered, unable to glance at him. "We're not here yet in my science class."

He was sitting close to her. She hadn't noticed until their knees touched and he jerked away at the contact. She managed to look at him long enough to see how pink his cheeks were and she realized he looked uncomfortable. This was getting too strange.

After staring at her book for another minute, her head snapped up to look at him.

"Wait a second," she said, her hand curling into a fist over the table. "Why do you need help with chemistry? Aren't you in senior physics?"

 _Caught._ His cheeks turned pinker and he stammered out a barely comprehensible response. "I...no...brushing up...Avogadro's constant..."

"What?" she demanded, scowling. She actually wanted to laugh at him but he would misconstrue that as her letting him off the hook.

He looked away from her and at the motivation poster of a frog behind her. "Okay, you got me. I--I don't need help with chemistry."

Katara slammed her book shut and crossed her arms. "Clearly."

He was silent for another moment and sighed. "My friend, Song, said that there was a cute chemistry tutor and told me to come see for myself. So I did."

Katara finally let out a laugh. "Well, that explains why you looked so displeased when you walked in."

She was still laughing when he said his next words. "No, I was confused. So what if it's you? She was right."

Her laughter died out and she stared at him with wide eyes and a furious blush crept up her neck. "What?"

Zuko shrugged. Katara was speechless and her thoughts were jumbled for a moment before she huffed and looked at him sharply.

"Ha. Nice joke, Zuko," she said, gathering her book bag and getting to her feet. "But this doesn't mean you have the one-up on me. Try harder next time."

"Where are you going?" asked Zuko, getting to his feet after her.

Katara didn't stop to answer him and waved goodbye to the librarian and Ms. June on her way out.

 _Stupid Zuko_ , she thought. _I can't believe I started falling for that. Ugh!_

She was able to storm to the parking lot, where her old blue Toyota Camry was waiting for her. She was trying to shake off the encounter and shake off the sting she felt because it was ridiculous.

"Hey!"

Katara was fumbling for her car keys when she heard his voice. She dug around faster in her bag. 

"Katara!"

The sounds of his quick footsteps were coming up behind her and she finally found her car keys and stuck them in her door.

"Cripes, you walk fast," he panted.

She turned and glared at him. "What do you want?"

He crossed him arms and leaned against the side of her car. "Why did you get all defensive when I called you cute?"

Katara wrenched open her door and threw her book bag into her passenger seat. "You didn't call me cute. You called the new science tutor cute. And I didn't get defensive."

Zuko leaned closer to her. "Katara. I think you're cute. Are you going to get defensive about that?"

Her heart started palpitating fast again. "You think I'm annoying."

He shrugged. "You think I'm kind of an asshole."

 _And cute_ , she begrudgingly added mentally. "And the sky is blue. Are we going to keep regurgitating painfully obvious things?"

"Only if you keep dodging me asking you out."

Katara felt her heart beat so hard it could burst through her ribs. "That is the most random thing you could ever say to me."

"Well?" he asked.

She tucked her hair behind her ear. "Are you serious?"

Zuko nodded, eyes and face without any trace of mockery.

"Ah--uh...okay."

He grinned. "Great. What are you doing right now?"

"I was going to get coffee with my friends but I cancelled on them to tutor some stupid senior who can't do chemistry. So I guess I'm free."

He reached over and tucked her hair behind her ear on the other side. "Let me make up that coffee to you. Sound good?"

She was so flustered that all she could to was say yes and promise to meet him at the nearby coffee shop.

But though she was surprised and flustered that this was all happening, she did not expect the "date" to go well. Part of her was still convinced that this was all a joke and she was on guard for much of the first hour they were there. The awkwardness eventually dissipated and they ended up spending four hours at the coffee shop, talking so intently that their coffees were forgotten and cold and neither of them cared.

* * *

The following Monday, when Katara answered a question on polynomials in math class, Zuko corrected her, like he always tried to do. The only difference was that instead of correcting her with a scowl, Zuko corrected her with a smirk. No one noticed—save for Ms. June, their calculus teacher. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
